Senior, Nakia Ollivierre has made a total of four appearances at the IGHSAU State Cross Country Meet during her high school career, including her three years here at West High. Prior to transferring and starting to run for West her sophomore year, Ollivierre ran for Ackley Geneva Wellsburg Steamboat Rock High School (AGWSRHS) located in Ackley, Iowa.
The change in transferring schools from class 3A to 4A comes with a large difference in the group of girls you race with. This normally means a change in the size of the schools, resulting in a deeper range of talent because of the higher enrollment in the schools you compete against. But, these challenges haven’t stopped her from chasing the finish line.
During her Freshman year at AGWSRHS Ollivierre placed 10th in the 3A individual race, with a time of 19 minutes and 27.45 seconds.
Finally, when her running shoes hit the dirt that surrounds West High her Sophomore year, she placed fourth with a time of 18 minutes and 1.0 seconds at the State Meet just making her the youngest runner in the top five that year cutting off a whopping minute and 26.45 seconds. As a Junior she finished fourth with a time of 18 minutes and 18.5 seconds and now as a Senior she finished 11th with a time of 18 minutes and 10.5 seconds.
Considering her athleticism and attitude that allows her to dominate every race she enters, Ollivierre has received several awards and accolades. These include three time Elite All State, two time Academic All State, two time Athlete of the Year, four time 1st Team All Conference and two time Academic All Conference.
While she will not continue her Cross Country in college, she will continue to use her agility and endurance while she plays her final season of high school basketball this year, and continues on next year to play basketball at West Point Military Academy. With an acceptance rate of under 14%, applicants are expected to have excelled in advanced classes and received the full International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, making them the top candidates to be accepted into the number one military school in the country.
The West High Girls Assistant Cross Country Coach Emily Eisenman who also happens to be Ollivierres IB Theory of Knowledge teacher shares that, “I’ve enjoyed working with Nakia both in cross country and in IB Theory of Knowledge – I appreciate her humor, her dedication, her focus on the future and her decision to serve the country in the Army.”
By attending and graduating from West Point, Ollivierre is committed to serving a minimum of five years Active Duty (full time) in the Army and an additional three years in the Individual Ready Reserves (part-time), meaning they could be called upon to replace someone who is serving in active duty if needed.
During the 2024-2025 Girls Basketball season, she averaged over 25 points per game, more than two of Wests most notable former girls basketball players Halli Poock now a guard for Murray State who started in 31 games her freshman year of college, still averaging over 20 points per game, and Sahara Williams a crucial forward for Oklahoma University and two time gold medalist FIBA 3×3 Champion, who both led West to state three years in a row.
Ollivierre is truly a one of a kind athlete and student, in every environment she’s in, whether it’s on the trails, court or in the classroom.
